Canada



A.-W. McCURDY.

DEVICE FOR COATING SURFACES.

APPLICATION FILED own. 1911.

1,313,197. PatentedAug.l2,19l9.

2 swans-saith.

A. W. McCURDY.

DEVICE FOR COATING SURFACES.

APPLICATION FILED 050.29. 1911.

1,313,197. r Y PatentedAug.12,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ARTHUR W. MGCURDY, OF VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

DEVICE FOR COATING SURFACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

Application filed December 29, 1917. Serial No. 209,506.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ARTHUR WV. MGCURDY,

' a subject of the King of Great Britain, re-

siding at Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, have'invented a certainnew and useful Improvement in Devices for Coating Surfaces, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention consists in a novel device for coating thin sheets orstrips of material of any kind, but is intended more particularly forapplying a film or coating of waterproofing substance or solution to asingle face of a photogra hic negative after the image has been deveoped and fixed. If desired, it may be used to coat both faces of a sheetor strip, but ordinarily this is neither necessary nor desirable, andits chief use is to apply the coating to a single face with out causingor permitting it to pass about the edges to the opposite face. 7

The contrivance is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure Iis a perspective view of the structure proper;

Fig. 2, an elevation with one side wall of the tank or liquid receptacleremoved;

Fig. 3, a perspective view of a strip to be treated, showing clips orgrippers ap-.

plied to its ends, together with the cords, tapes, or other flexiblebands and hand-hold or bar by which the strip is led under the directingor guiding rolls, and over and in contact with the coating drum orcylinder; Fig. 4, a transverse sectional view of the cli r Fig. 5, aview of the blank from which the clip is formed;

Fig. 6, a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 4, and showing adetailof the clip or gripper.

The present invention is one of a series having for their object theproduction of more perfect photographic negatives and positives, and themaintenance thereofunimpaired despite frequent and long continued use,whether for printing or picture projection. To this end I aim toprotect" the sensitized face of the film roll from being softened,stained, abraded, or otherwise disfigured up to the time of exposure, development, and fixation, by making the film cartridge waterproof, andthereafter making the developed and fixed negative as a wholewaterproof. 7

The device is intended particularly for the use of the amateur and thecommercial photographer, for which reason compactness and portabilityare prime requisites, and are carefully kept in view.

Referring again to the drawings, 1 indicates a tank or vessel havingupright side walls 2 and, preferably, a curved-bottom 8, which, risingto the upper edge of the side walls at their ends, constitutes also theendsof the chamber. This is merely a preferred construction, for whicha'rectangular chamber with,a horizontal bottom may be substituted.Within the tank and rotatable about its central axis is a drum orcylinder 4, preferably made of sheet metal, and hollow for lightness andconvenience of quantity production. V

In the drawings I have shown the heads or ends of the drum centrallyreinforced, and each provided with a central stud 5 having a centralconical seat or depression to receive the conical end of a plvot screw'6, which-passes through-a side wallof the tank or vessel 1, and isseated in the socket of the stud 5. A jam nut 7 holds the pivot screw atthe desired adjustment or prevents its working loose. {The pivot screws6 are preferably concentriowiththe axis of the tank bottom 3, so thatthere shall be a like body of the coating solution between the drum andthe tank throughout the depth of the liquid, this arrangement tending toinsure a more uniform coating of the drum than would otherwise result,and lessening the tendency to produce air bubbles in the liquid.

' Carried by the side walls of the tank 1 and projecting longitudinallyfrom each end thereof, are arms or brackets 8, four in' all, arranged inpairs, and each having near'its outer end a circular hole 9 to re ceivea journal or gudgeon 10 of a roller 11. .Each pair of arms orobracketsserves to support the. journals or gudgeons of opposite ends 'of'oneroll, permitting the roll to turn freely therein. As the structure isdesigned the arms or brackets 8 are preferably made H demountable in anyconvenient way. In the pair,

drawings I have shown them secured-in place by small machine screws, andwhere the tank and arms or brackets are made of metal with the aid ofjigs, dies, etc., the screw holes can be so accurately placed and thebrackets made so absolutely alike that they can-be used interchangeably,with the certainty that all parts will be properly positioned when thescrews are introduced and turned to their seats.

Each side wall 2 has an inturned flange 12 along its lower edge, toafford an adequate footing for the tank,and a proper hold or clam p'ingsurface for clamps 13 by which the tank may be rigidly secured upon atable, work bench, window sill, or like support, it beingv importantthat" be held firmly against movement when 1n use. I have here shown awell known form of work or bench clamp, having two parallel armsconnected by an intermediate section at right angles to said *arms, anda screw "p'ass11ig through one "arm and carrying at 11191113161 end aswiveled disk. Any other suitable clamp of common form may be used.

The purpose of the guiding or directing rollers 11 is to cause the stripor sheetfto be'coated, to hug closely and firmlyito the periphery of'thedrum, thus insuring acornpletecoating of the entlre face of said stripor sheet. To this end the rollers 11 have their axes in about the samehor zontal'plane as is that ofthe drum, or 1t may be, a little lower,and the 'strlp or'sheet is led under one roller '11, thence upward overthe drum and in contact with its surface, and thence under the secondroller 11, the free ends of the strip; or sheet belng drawn upwardrelatively to the rolls 1'1 with force sufficient to rotate the'drum andcause saidstrip or sheet 'to maintain close coiita'ctwith it throughoutthe entire opposing areas. In this way the formation of bubbles andblisters is avoided, and any surplus'ofcoating liquidor solution lyingupon the surface of the drum is pressed or squeezedout, and a uniformcoating'of the strip or sheet insured. I I

It is important that provision be made for apply'ingft-o and maintainingadequate tension on, the strip or sheet from the instant its leading endcomes into contact with the drum until its trailing end leaves the same.For this purpose I provide suitable clips or gripping devices, denotedgenerally by 1 1 capable of securely binding and holdlng theends of thestrip or sheet, and each having a suitable hand-hold. It is alsoimportant that the clips or grippers hold the strip or sheet securely,as any slipping or detachment thereof wouldin most cases mif notdestroy, a series of negatives. I have hence provided a gripper or clipwhich can be positively locked in its clamping adjustment, free fromdanger of accidental opening or release while in use. This isillustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, and will now be described in connectiontherewith.

The body of the clip or gripper is formed from blank 15, Fig. 5, whichmay be stamped from sheet metal of suitable resiliency, and is afterwardbent to the form shown in Figs. 8 and &. This blank com prises twoparallel .bars or jaws 16 and 17, connected by (preferably) twotransverse bars 18 and 19. The bar 16 is formed with an upwardlyextending lip 20 adapted to enter a longitudinally disposed groove 21formed adjacent the'outer edge of the bar 17 when the blank is bent toits final'shape.

Such bending consists primarily in formingthecross bars 18 and 19 intoapproximately circular loops or bows 22, which owing to the resilienceof the metal eniployed, form springs, which normally hold the bars 16and 17 separated as in Fig. 4, sutficiently to permit the readyintroduction'of the endor edge of the strip, sheet, or negative to *becoated. To guard against possible injury to the film or other sheet,'theouter edge of the bar or jaw 16 is advisably rounded or curled, asshown.

The separation of the plates or jaws 16 and 17 is limited "by T-headedstuds o'r rivets 23, two or more, the heads of'which are above and restupon the bar -17,as seen in Fig. 41. The stems of the studs 23-passthrough and are riveted or headed beneath the lower bar 16, a'nd'inaddition to' their noted function, serve as stops to limit the insertion of the strip or sheet to be handled and treated. The T-heads ofthe studs 23 form supports for levers 24:, here show'nas slotted tostraddle said lieads andp'ivotally connected thereto by pins 25. Tvhenthrown back to the position indicated in Fi'g. 4:, the short radiusportion of each lever rests upon the upper bar 17, but as the leveris'tlirown outward the portion of increasing radius bears upon andpresses down the grooved bar or aw 17, causing said bar to overlie theinserted strip or sheetand to press the same downwardly onto the lip-20,thereby producing a somewhat sharp bend in'the'sheet or strip andaffording a firm hold thereon. hen the levers are thus thrown forward,as the bearing point is directly below the pivot axis or slightly to therear thereof,-the parts will be locked in position and"free fromanytendency to open during use of the clip or gripper. The levers 24 arefor'convenience of manipulation connected by a bar or rod 26, sothat'bothmaybe actuated at the same time and by the same operation. Thegroove 21 and lip 20 are so designed that when they grip the fil'm itwill be bent downward asat 3 1, and come inclose contact with the drumin the operation of'coating the film.

The clip 14: applied to the leading end of the strip or sheet to betreated, has attached to it flexible bands 27 and 28 here shown in theform oftwo cords, for which tapes, straps, or other flexible members maybe substituted. Cords are preferred because they make a minimum contactwith the surface of the drum, and take up a minimum quantity of thecoating liquid or solution, a quantity so small that it will be promptlyreplaced by the spreading or flow of that at each side of the line ofthe cords when they pass off the drum. Preferably, these cords at theirouter ends are attached to or connected by a crossbar or hand-hold 29. Aconvenient mode of attachment of the cords or bands to the clip or griper is by passing their ends through perforations 30, formed in the bowsor loops 22, and the formation of knots within said loops. The cords'27and 28 are of a length to pass from one roll 11 to the other, and overthe intervening drum, and to reach an inch or two, more or less, beyondthe second roll. vIn order to facilitate the passage of the cords overthe drum, and to prevent them from slipping off over the edges of thesame, the cords are preferably crossed and fastened at their point ofcrossing, as indicated in Fig. 3.

For convenience in hanging up the clip or gripper, I may provide ahanger 31, seen in Fig. 3, consisting of a wire bent to form a loopmidway between its ends, and having said ends carried into the bows 22to form journals, which turn within sheet metal clips or bearings 32.Any equivalent device as, for instance, a perforated ear or tang 33,shown in Fig. 5, may be employed. The loop of the hanger 81, when thewire construction is adopted, may be turned inward, and made to restupon the upper bar or jaw 17 of the gripper for convenience in pack ing.To guard against endwise movement of the hanger 31, the metal of theloops 22, when the holes for the reception of the cord are formed, maybe turned, inwardly, forming stops'32 as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. So,too, the cross-bar or hand-hold 29, which is preferably formed of asingle piece of wire, will be provided with a loop or ring 29intermediate its ends, which facilitates handling as well as affordingmeans for hanging up the cords and attached clip.

The clip or gripper 14 which is to be applied to the rear or trailingend of the strip or sheet, is similar to that ust described, butrequires no cords or bands, being merely provided with a movable handle,loop, or ring, which may be directly grasped by the fingers of theperson using the device.

The device constructed as above described is utilized by first passingthe hand-hold 29 and the flexible bands 27, 28 beneath one of therollers 11, thence upward over and in contact with the drum 4, andfinally downward and beneath the second roll 11. The cords or bands 27,28 are of suflicient length to permit the leading clip or gripper to beplaced to the left of the first'roll 11, while the hand-hold 29 isreasonably to the right of the right-hand-roll 11. By then holding backthe attached strip, sheet or negative with the left hand and drawingupward thereon, and. simultaneously drawing up ward on the hand-hold 29,the cords or bands will be caused to bear upon the cylinder or drum 4with suflicient force to insure the rotation thereof, and the coating ofits sur face by the liquid in which its lower side is immersed. Thiswill insure such coating in advance of contact of the leading end of thestrip or negative with said drum, and consequently insure delivery ofthe coating solution to the drum throughout its entire length, as thestrip, sheet, or negative will itself continue such rotation of the drumso long as it is drawn over and in contact there- The second clip, whichis attached to the trailing end of the strip, sheet, or negative,

maintains such strip or negativein flat and stretched form. V

The consistencyof the coating solution may be varied as desired.Ordinarily I prefer to employ a quite thin solution, and to apply a thincoating, as such interferes less with the flexibility of the finishedstrip or film, and with the passage of light to and through thenegativewhen th for coating negatives.

Various minor changes in construction will, of course, readily suggestthemselves to the skilled mechanic, and are within the scopeof myinvention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is V 1. 'A portabledevice for coating fle n'ble sheets or strips of material, comprising ine device is used 7 combination, a tank; a drum mounted and rotatablewithin said tank; rollers one in advance and the other in rear of thedrum, serving to guide the strip or sheet to be coated and to enablepressure to be applied by the strip or sheet to the drum to hold saidstrip in contact with the upper surface therer r of' positive grippindevices for gripping the ends of the strip or sheet to be coated;

and a flexible band attached to one of the gripping devices, and servingto impart initial rotation to the drum in the act of leading the stripor sheet to said drum, and thereby charging the surface of said drumwith coating material from the point at which the strip to be coatedmeets it.

2. A portable device for coating flexible strips or sheets, comprising atank to contain the coating material, provided with base flanges; a drumor cylinder mounted to rotate Within saidrtank; demountable guiderollers appl-ied'to said tank in advance and in rear of said drum;detachable clamps to overhang the 'base flanges of the tank and securesaid tank to a, table or support; and means for drawing in a, sheet orstrip to be coated and moving the same over and in content with thedrum, comprising positive gripping devices to grip the opposite ends ofthe sheet or strip to be coated, and a flexible band attached to one ofsaid gripping de- 10 VICGS.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to. this specification.

ARTHUR W. MOCURDY.

Qopies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

